Gerome

X-573344-F (circa 1202)

X-573344-8 (circa 1117)

Gerome orbits a K2 dwarf in a highly elliptical orbit. The
planet also has an extreme axial tilt. The eccentricity and the the axial tilt causes
severe seasonal changes. Temperatures range from 240K to 310K. The planet is rugged world
wracked by extremely violent storms. These storms kick up large amounts of metallic dust.
This dust is very irritating to humans and other sapiens, requiring the use of filter
masks. Sapiens who breathe the air without the aid of a filter mask, come down with
chronic lung infections as the dust particles irritate the inner linings of the lungs and
throat. This wind borne dust constantly erodes man made structures forcing most dwellings
below ground. Gerome possesses no bodies of water, worthy of being called oceans, rather
it has many huge lakes.

Gerome has been a declared a Red Zone by the Imperial Navy
since 945. The reason for the red zone were kept classified until now. Now under the
Regent's new more open government the truth can be revealed. Previous to this time, a set
of false UWP has been feed to the public. Gerome was established as a top secret research
base in charge of finding new military applications for biotechnologies. These included
anti-bacterial warfare agents, creating geneered animals to serve in both combat and
intelligence roles, methods in speeding the growth of clones, (TEXT DELETED BY ORDER OF
NAVAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICE: ORDER 18734945-A), artificial RNA learning techniques and many
other projects. The reason for the Red Zone was simply to keep away spies and others
without the Imperium's best interest at heart. In an effort to keep the existance of the
base secret, the Navy released fake UPP data on the system, falsely showing the planet to
be uninhabited. The results of the scientific experiments were filtered through other
research bases. This way the Zhodani and other enemies would not even know that a top
secret base even existed. The Civil War did not disrupt the research, as it was located
far behind the Claw. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the base did suffer significant
budget cuts, but proceeded much as before.

In 1135 there was a major accident which would alter the world forever. The base had
been doing research into artificial bacterial symbiotes that would enable humans to exist
in a vacuum without a vacsuit. The work was still far from finished, but proceeding
nicely. On 114-1135 an explosion of still unexplained origins ripped through the lab where
the symbiote was being designed. The symbiote was released into the atmosphere of the
planet. The high speed winds quickly dispersed the symbiote. Over the next few days it
became apparent the symbiote was far from finished as it infected several thousand people
across the face of the planet. Instead of allowing the infected to survive in a vacuum,
the symbiote slowly asphyxiate d the victim over a span of several hours. By now the
symbiote had been spread across the entire surface of the planet and was thriving in the
environment. It was designed to survive in the cold vacuum of space, the atmosphere
provided more than enough heat and carbon dioxide to thrive. An immediate quarantine was
placed around the planet. All projects were halted, as everyone tried to find an antidote.
Unfortunetly those scientists who understood the symbiote best where the first to die.
After six months, no progress had been made towards a cure and over half the population
had died. What made the task so difficult was the symbiote had been designed to withstand
the extremes of space, high and low temperatures, high levels of radiation and vacuum. It
could be killed by extreme methods such as plasma bursts, but this wasn't a practical
method of decontamiating infected individuals. The populace holed up small groups in
underground bunkers.

The Navy Commander in charge of the planet made the painful choice to permanently close
the planet. Slowly the underground bunkers became infected, until the population has
dwindled to barely 8000 out of 70,000 former inhabitants. Estimates suggest that within 40
years the remaining inhabitants will perish. A small group of scientists still tries to
find a way of defeating the symbiote, but a solution evades their grasp, as the symbiote
continues to mutate and adapt. The Navy maintains a squadron in the system to prevent
anyone from violating the quarantine. It also drops frequent mercy packages to aid the
survivors. The only penalty for violating the quarantine is life long exile to the planet.
When asked about the severe actions of the Navy, Cmmdr Wafoua Syoisuis replied, "Its
better then dealing with another Virus."

Society- Before the release of the symbiote,
humans and other sapiens lived in underground complexes, to avoid the dust storms, and the
extremes in weather. It was lucky for the inhabitants, because if the symbiote had been
released on a standard world, no one would have escaped. Now the complexes have had 70
years to fortify themselves against the symbiote, through complex filtering and airtight
seals. For the most part these keep the symbiote at bay, but every so often something
breaks down, and the complex is infected, usually yielding a large death toll. That is if
anyone is left alive to count the bodies.

There are somewhere between ten and thirty complexes on Gerome. The average population
is several hundred people. Each complex has grown into one extended family, with most
people being related through marriage. The families govern the complexes through small
town meetings. Most people never leave their complex; the possibility of contamination
arises each time someone leaves or enters. Except for the retrieval of Naval mercy
shipments, it is only in the most dire of circumstances that anyone leaves a complex. The
shipments are usually picked up by robots. When someone is forced to leave the compound it
is in airtight ATVs, when they return, the exterior is scoured with a high temperature
plasma to kill any of the symbiote that might have attached itself to the vehicle.

The complexes keep in contact through a computer and video network. So while they might
not be able to leave their complex, they will be able to meet and become friends with
people across the globe. Entertainment from around the Regency are beamed to the complexes
by the Navy. Most inhabitants are a fairly dour and grumpy lot. They resent being forced
to live on such a miserable planet under miserable circumstances. Most couples do not have
children, they feel it wouldn't be right to bring children into such a place.